Gemiler Adası - Turkish Coast

An exciting part of travel is discovering the unexpected. That's what happened to me on a recent trip to the Turkish coast.

I was in Kayakoy, a beautiful valley just near the bustling town of Fethiye. The owner of the villa where I was staying suggested I spend a day on his favorite beach - Gemiler Adasi. He advised me not to just take the dolmus down, but to walk the seven kilometers instead.

For those of you unfamiliar with the metric system, 7K is about 4.5 miles - not a crazy walk for myself, but still a two-hour escapade in what I expected would be blazing heat.

Anyway, I decided to take the owners advice and I set off after breakfast. First I passed through beautiful farmland, which then opened into lush pine forest. Soon I found myself completely among nature, with no evidence of human habitation.

And then it happened. As I swung around the next corner, I found myself on top of a hill looking down at a small beach enclave nestled on the banks of the shimmering blue Mediterranean. Flanked by lush green in the foreground and mountains in the background, it was a sight to behold.

The final 3K was through winding, canopied pines. I arrived at the pristine beach I had seen from above and ended up spending the entire day lolling around, swimming, kayaking and enjoying the breathtaking view.